Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C,I-Batavia) today announced that the old Wal-Mart building in Brockport will not be used to house illegal immigrant children. After Hawley explained that Brockport would be unable to handle such a facility, the Department of Health and Human Services contacted the assemblyman to inform him the site would no longer be under consideration.

“The decision to not have the facility in our community is ultimately the right one. Brockport residents and upstate New York taxpayers can’t afford to be paying for the housing, healthcare and education of illegal immigrant children,” said Hawley. “It’s important that we do everything to help these children, but Brockport is ill-equipped for such an undertaking long term.”

When the federal government announced it was targeting an old Wal-Mart building in Brockport to house illegal immigrants, Hawley contacted the Department of Health and Human Services to illustrate why it would be a poor decision to do so. Brockport came under consideration after the Lexington Commerce Center in the town of Greece was ruled out as a possible housing site. Other locations under consideration have not yet been announced.